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Western Home Awards

History with a light touch

Honor Award: Remodel

Built in 1869, this home needed an updated kitchen, seismic and electrical upgrading, and more light in interior rooms.

Why it won: The simplicity of the remodel shows sensitivity to what was there before, while bringing in much more natural light. Owner and architect Mary Griffin replaced a 1920s shed-roof addition at the back with a slightly larger addition that allowed the kitchen to move out of the historic part of the house. She turned the new kitchen into a large light box with a translucent roof made of aluminum-and-fiberglass Kalwall panels. Widened openings between the major rooms further brighten the interior.